Are The Cowboys TRADING UP For Sonny Styles?! - Kris Kretschman Show

The Dallas Cowboys might be more aggressive than people think… and it could completely change the outlook of this team heading into next season.

In today’s episode of the Kris Kretschman Show, we break down major draft buzz surrounding the Cowboys — including what Dane Brugler had to say about a potential trade-up for Sonny Styles and why that move could signal a shift in how Dallas approaches team building.

We also react to Kevin Clark saying the Cowboys could be legit contenders if they land two impact defensive players in the draft. Is this team really that close… or are we overhyping it?

Plus, we dive into a potential trade scenario involving Kenny Moore II and whether he could be the type of veteran addition that pushes this defense to the next level.

This episode is all about one question:
Are the Cowboys finally ready to go all-in?

Make sure to like and subscribe for more daily Cowboys content, draft reactions, and real analysis you won’t get anywhere else.

Transcript

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Hello, what's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Chris Cratchman show for April 10th, 2026. And on today's episode, I want to talk about Dane Brugler going on to the Rich Eyes and so show saying that the Cowboys might be trading up for Sonny Styles. I want to talk about Kevin Clark saying that the Cowboys, if they draft two defensive players in this draft that make an impact for them, they could be contenders. And I want to talk about Kenny Moore requesting a trade from the Colts. Is that a guy that the Cowboys could potentially pick up? Before we get into the episode, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. And let's get into the episode. So I want to start off with Dane Bruegler talking about the Cowboys potentially trading up to go and get Sonny Styles. In this scenario, he had them trading up to six with the Cleveland Browns. That's something that's been very popular. It seems like the Cleveland Browns do want to get out of that pick because apparently they do want to draft an offensive lineman. And the type of offensive linemen that are going to be available for them at pick six, you're talking about guys like Munro Freeling from Georgia. And you have uh there's France Muaga who could potentially be available, and Caden Proctor from Alabama is a guy like those are guys that could that are going to be available at pick six. Uh Malinova is a guy who I think is probably going to get picked within the top three picks. Normally I wouldn't pick him there, but that's a that's a topic for another day. But, you know, the the Browns, they do want to draft an offensive lineman. So it makes a lot of sense for them to trade back because I do think Freeling and Proctor are going to be there at pick 12 when the Cowboys would have been selecting. That trade makes a lot of sense if the Browns are open to it, right? Because there's two sides that we trade. We could sit here and say, yeah, I would trade 12 and 20 up to pick six so that we can get six and thirty-nine. We could say that, but the Browns have to accept that trade. So there's two sides to this. And I'm really curious to see what Browns fans and people that are close to the Browns would think about that trade. I think it makes sense for both sides, just because I think that the Browns need a quantity of picks, right, in the first round because they have so many holes on that team that they have to fill, I think, with premium capital. But the name that they're bringing up is Sonny Styles. I I'm not 100% sold on Sonny Styles being a top six player in this draft. If you're telling me that you're trading up to go get Bain at pick six, I'm okay with that because that's a guy who plays a premium position, right? When you talk about the premium positions in football, quarterback, offensive tackles, wide receivers, defensive ends, and your cornerbacks. I'm completely fine with that. I'm okay with it if it's for Downs as well, just because I think Downs is a really, really good player. Styles is where I start to draw the line a little bit, mainly because you can get really good linebackers and not have to draft one in the top six. And my thing with Styles is he's probably around that 10 to 15 range in terms of prospects, probably probably closer to 10 than 15. But I think you guys understand what I'm saying. I think if you were to draft him at pick 12, awesome pick because at the end of the day, I think that's where he probably belongs at, right? At pick 12. But, you know, Downs, safety, if they trade up for him, completely fine with that. Bain, that's the guy that I'm like, yeah, go up and get that guy. Now, there's two names that the Cowboys brought in for 30 visits, right? There's Arval Reese and there's David Bailey. Those are guys that you're gonna have to get up there for. You're not gonna sit at 12 and draft those guys. So if you want to get up there for one of those guys, that makes sense as well. Reese is a little different, right? Because talk about Styles, he doesn't play a premium position. And the thing is, do I 100% like believe in that, the premium position thing? I do to an extent, but like if you're trading into the top six, I start to think about that stuff. If it's pick 12 and downs there at pick 12, or even if you want to trade up a little bit to either nine or 10, that's where I'm like, okay, I can live with that. Even downs at six because he I think he's that good of a player, I'm cool with that. But like if I'm trading up there, I want to go get a pass rusher, I want to go get a lockdown corner, I want to go get not for the Cowboys this year, but usually I want to go get an offensive tackle or a wide receiver or a quarterback. That's just my line of thinking because the thing is with linebackers, you could find a linebacker that would be really good for you and not have to not have to pick one in the top six, right? Like Jordan Brooks out there, he plays for the Miami Dolphins. That's a guy that the Cowboys have been linked to, that apparently they reached out to. That's a guy where you look at it and you say, okay, like if they don't find a linebacker this draft, they can just go trade for Jordan Brooks. And that 100% makes sense because you're not gonna have to give up crazy draft capital to get him. I think a fourth-round pick and maybe something else gets that deal done, and you're getting a guy who's gonna be able to rock the green dot for you day one, and he's a guy that is gonna play at a high level for you, and he's not gonna cost you a top six pick in this draft. And that's where when it comes to the premium position, this is where it really comes into play. It comes into play when you talk about uh offensive linemen, uh all those positions. When you have when you have a great offensive tackle, teams don't let those guys hit free agency. When you have a great wide receiver, usually teams don't let those guys hit free agency. I think what you guys are getting what I'm saying. Linebackers, did you see the linebackers that were available this offseason that could play at a very high level for you? And what I mean is like the the difference between a pass rusher that would hit free agency and a pass rusher that like a top of the line guy, the the difference is so great between those two, right? Like Miles Garrett is not hitting free agency. He's just not. And then, you know, if you have even a really good defensive end, he's probably not hitting free agency. Linebacker, it's different. You can have an elite linebacker and guys like Fred Warner and those guys, Roquan Smith, they don't hit free agency, but a guy like N'Kobe Dean and Quay Walker do. And what's the difference between those guys in their level of play? There is a difference. Is it as drastic as it would be for like a top-of-the-line defensive end and Miles Garrett? No. So that's where that stuff comes into play because it's so much easier to find linebackers and safeties and those positions and still get a really good level of play and find them in free agency or find them in trade. Pass rush, completely different, completely different. So that's where I come from with that. But Sonny Styles, would I be okay with them trading up and doing it? Like I just be like, all right, like they they addressed their linebacker, right? That's one less position of need that they have. And you know, one thing that I said a few weeks ago, I made a video and I said, Sonny Styles is the Teterella McMillan of the 2026 draft for the Dallas Cowboys. And what do I mean by that? Tet was looked at as their solution for wide receiver two last year. And then when Teterella McMillan wasn't available, they moved on and they went and they got George Pickens. I think it's gonna be the same thing here. I think if they do wait at 12 for uh, you know, Sonny Styles, if he's there, that's gonna be their linebacker. If not, and they stay at 12, I think they're probably gonna find a guy uh, you know, in the trade market or something like that. So that's how I feel about that. Sonny Styles, now obviously look, Ohio State, like that's my guy. He's a he's an Ohio State guy. So, you know, I'm gonna pull for him, but I also have to be honest in my assessment. I think he's a really good player. Would I trade up to go get him? I I don't I don't I don't I don't think I would do that. Hey, quick break. Please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. And on to the next topic. So Kevin Clark was on ESPN's get up, and he was saying that if the Cowboys get two impact defenders in this NFL draft, they could be contenders. Now, I'm just gonna be 100% honest with you guys. I think people place way too much exp way too many expectations on these rookies. They just do. For these guys to come in here and make an impact immediately, you're talking about to the extent where they could be contenders. I think that that is it's a little bit fishy to me. Like it's not the right way to think about this. I think that, yeah, if those guys can come in and be impact players, sure. But a lot of times, rookies, there is an acclamation period there. At pick 12, yeah, you might be able to find a guy that can come on the field day one and make a big time impact for you. Maybe, but this is the draft, and these are still young players. Now, am I completely crapping on the idea of them being contenders? No, I mean, I still think their offense is really, really good. Uh, I think that they did add some defensive pieces, but I just still think that they're a few more pieces away. If you're telling me that at pick 12, you can find a guy like Caleb Downs, sweet, like awesome, that's gonna help your defense. If you can find a guy that can get after the quarterback to the extent where they're an eight to 10 sack guy as a rookie, sure, like that's what I would consider impact players. But I I just think that's asking a lot out of two first-year players to be impact players immediately. I I don't know about that. Now, the way I look at this Cowboys team is I I'm not one of these people that think you have to win a Super Bowl in the next three years or you know, you're completely done with Dak. I mean, look at some of the quarterbacks in the league. Matt Stafford is about to be what, 38 years old, and they were just in the NFC championship game and he just won MVP and he's still playing at an extremely high level. So I don't believe in this idea that you have to win in the next three years or you're you're just completely done with the DAC window. I think with this defense, you have to build it from the ground up. And I like some of the moves that they made. I like getting rid of Oso Degizoa. And the reason why I like that move is because I think you need to be stout against the run. And here's the thing, right? People do these the football cliches, and it drives me up a wall because people don't actually live by the football cliches that they put forward. What do people say about defense? You have to earn the right to rush the passer. So when they're building personnel that is telling you we want to earn the right to run the to rush the passer, why do people have a problem with getting rid of a guy like Oso Degizua? He's not a good run defender. I mean, we saw it. Go watch the Carolina game. He was getting absolutely worked in the run game. But so what I mean by that is this, right? They are building a front that's they're trying to be stout against the run. And I think if this offseason you come out of it with a stout defensive line and you have linebackers that can fit the run and you do a really good job stopping the run, I can live with that because the one way teams were really successful against the Cowboys last year is when they were sitting on the ball, when they were running the ball, when they were milking the clock. And when they did that, they had a lot of success against the Cowboys because the way they looked at it was we can move the ball in this defense whichever way we want. So why don't we just do it while we're also controlling time of possession so we can keep that offense off the field? You saw it in the Chargers game, you saw it in the Cardinals game, right? So if if we could be good at one thing this upcoming season, it's stopping the run. And then next offseason, that's when you go get your Ferraris, that's when you go get your pass rushers. You know, because like if this defense is average, yes, I do believe that they can make the playoffs, they can win some playoff games here. But, you know, I think the way to win a Super Bowl is by having an elite, either an elite offense or an elite defense, and either a good offense or a good defense, if that makes sense, right? Like obviously you want elite on both sides of the ball, but if you could be elite on uh, let's just say offense for this example. If you could be elite on offense and good on defense, I think that those are teams that you talk about winning Super Bowls or great on defense and good on offense, just like the Seattle Seahawks this year. So I I don't buy the notion that you just need an average defense to win a Super Bowl with this offense. Is this a good offense? Yeah, it's a really, really good offense. I I mean I'm such a fan of Pickens. I think the guy is incredible. But what I mean is like this offense, it's really good. Is it a generational offense? I mean, like it could be this year, it could be, but was it last year? No. And have they really made drastic improvements to this offense this offseason? No. I mean, the improvements are gonna come from you know Schottenheimer spending more time in the offensive meeting rooms compared to the defensive meeting rooms. It's gonna be, you know, Pickens taking that next step. It's gonna be guys getting more familiar with the offense. That's where you're gonna see improvement with the offense, right? It's not gonna be about from personnel. Maybe, you know, you get some guys like Jadon Blue who steps up and plays well. But what what I what I mean by this to put a bell on this whole thing, I just think it's it's too early to place contender on the Cowboys, even if they add impact players, because on the defensive side of the ball, just because you need to see it come into play, they still have a new defensive coordinator. It's gonna look a certain type of way. You know, when when the season starts, like I want fans to be patient with Christian Parker because I don't want it to be week one and everybody's freaking out on the guy, just like they did with Mike Zimmer back in 2024. And what happened? You know, once you got into the second half of the season, you started to see that defense started to play a lot better because it's it's a different defense, it's a different scheme. You're asking these guys to do completely different things than you did in the prior scheme. So contenders, they they they could be that. But I just want to wait and see. I want to wait and see how Christian Parker does as a coach. I want to wait and see if they draft well. Because here's the thing the Cowboys, they they do have a good history of drafting. But over these past few years here, they made some picks that made you scratch your head a little bit. And it's not just the first round, it's the second round. When you talk about guys like Luke Schoonmaker, I mean, come on, that was a that was a really, really bad pick. It was a bad pick at the time, and it looks even worse now than it did at the time. He was probably like a fifth or fifth or sixth round pick, right? And they drafted in the second round, they overdrafted him. They they have they have guys recently where the draft history hasn't been great. So I I need to see them nail these picks, and if they do, with the addition of Jalen Thompson, that's a big improvement. I think Kobe Durant is an improvement over the depths that they had from last year. Uh, you know, Rashawn Gary, he's a replacement for Jadavian Clowney. I think Gary's a little better, but it's still, it's not like he's that much better. So that that's where I'm I'm just gonna pump the brakes a little bit and I'm gonna say, let's wait and see before we talk about them being Super Bowl contenders this year. Do I think they can do it in the next three years? Yes, this year might be a little too early for that. Hey, quick break. Please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. And on to the next topic. So the last topic I want to talk about is Kenny Moore, the second from the Indianapolis Colts. He's that slot cornerback that they have there. He requested a trade, and there were people linking the Cowboys to Kenny Moore. And the way I look at this is would Kenny Moore be a good addition for this team? Yeah, because any addition to this defense that is an above-average player would be a great addition. And when I look at Kenny Moore, it's it's not mainly about Kenny Moore. It's just about what teams are gonna do leading into the draft. I don't think you're gonna see a team trade for Kenny Moore prior to the draft because I mean, we're I mean, we're two weeks away at this point, right? They're probably gonna wait and see what their team looks like uh after the draft, and then they'll make a trade. That's why I think the Cowboys haven't traded for Jordan Brooks yet, because I think they're waiting to see. Let's see how our team looks like coming out of the draft. Let's see if you know certain players fall to us or we trade back. You know, they want to wait and see what their roster looks like, and then they'll start filling in the void. So if they feel like they need to upgrade that position, that slot cornerback position, which is what Kenny Moore plays, I could see the Cowboys doing that. I mean, he's 32 years old. He's he's a fine player from you know what I last remember of him. He's a fine player. And like, yeah, the Cowboys obviously they need improvements on defense. I think their secondary has gotten better, but if their plan for the corners is bland on one side and revel on the other, I mean, who's playing slot cornerback for them? I mean, Kenny Moore would be a very nice pick, but you know, then you're looking at the draft. What if you get Avion Terrell in the draft? What if you draft Avion Terrell at pick 20? Then you traded for Kenny Moore. You you traded draft capital for him, probably. It's probably gonna be, you know, a sixth, seventh round pick, somewhere around that, right? That's probably what you're gonna have to trade to get him. And it's like, okay, you know, they could have used that capital to go out there and trade for a linebacker or trade for another position that they can use after the draft. And then they have Avion Terrell if they pick him at pick 20, and now they have a little bit of a surplus there, right? So that's where I think the Cowboys are probably looking at their roster and they're probably just like, let's wait and see how this plays out. But again, that guy being on the trade block, that gives the Cowboys another avenue. If after the draft they don't feel comfortable about where they are in their secondary, they can go trade for him. Again, like at the age of 32, he's a fine player. I I just don't see him costing anything more than a six-round pick at this point, right? I think Gilmore went, if I'm not mistaken, they traded a fifth-round pick for Gilmore. And I think Gilmore was a better player when the Cowboys traded for him than than Kenny Moore is right now. And he plays on the outside compared to the inside, right? So it's not gonna cost an arm and a leg to go get him, but you do wonder, he's 32 years old. Is he gonna give you the level of play that you need on this defense? I mean, he's obviously gonna be better than what you had last year, right? Your your slot cornerback last year was Reddy Stewart. So I can't see him not being an upgrade there, but I just want to wait and see how this plays out. But it's very interesting how the Cowboys have been talking about the nickel position so far this offseason. They obviously want to address that, that position, right? They they want to make a move there. You hear Christian Parker talk about it, you hear Brian Schottenheimer talk about it, you hear Steven Jones talk about it, you hear all these guys talk about it because it's a very important position, right? Especially in today's game where you have these guys playing in the slot, you have a Jackson Smith and Jig, but he's playing in the slot a lot more. I mean, obviously you're not gonna have to defend him, but you know, uh CeeDee Lamb plays in the slot, Amon Ross St. Brown plays in the slot. So it's it's a position that they want to address. And, you know, maybe the the Kenny Moore door can still be opened if they go a different direction at that nickel position than let's just say an Avion Terrell. If they say, hey, Emmanuel McNeil Warren is our guy at pick 20, you're not gonna play him in the slot. What you're gonna do there is you're gonna play him like the the Ravens play Hamilton or like the Seahawks play Eamon Wori. And I think the Cowboys do, what's actually crazy is I think the Cowboys do have the personnel to play the type of way that Seattle does with Eamon Wori and Baltimore does with Kyle Hamilton. Because what do those teams have? They have stout defensive fronts. And because of that, uh they're able to keep Eamon Wori clean. They're able to, they're able to keep Hamilton clean. But they also have guys over the top that can play safety so that they don't have to do that responsibility, right? It's the same thing with the Cowboys. I think the Cowboys are fine at safety. I really do. I think, you know, uh uh Jalen Thompson, very nice addition. I think PJ Locke, he's at least a starter quality safety, right? Same thing with Moe Cooker. So if you draft a guy like Emmanuel McNeil Warren, you can feel comfortable playing him in the box and playing him as a hyper athletic linebacker like the Seahawks do with Eamon Mori because you have the personnel to be able to do it. And if they do that and they still go trade for Kenny Moore, now your defense looks a lot better, right? Now, like you're you're looking at this defense and you're like, all right, they're they're starting to get somewhere. They're starting to get somewhere. I I still think with this defense, you're you're one of my least favorite things that that this team does. They're banking on development, right? Like they're banking, uh, they they they do this far too often. Remember two years ago, they they didn't have uh you know a one technique defensive tackle. They were like Mozzie Smith, you know, he he has to step up. He was a first-round pick. But it's like when you watch the guy play, it's like he can't play. He just cannot play. You cannot rely on this guy. And I think that's what they're doing again when you look at uh Ezeraku and you look at Revel, they're depending on guys that I I don't know if they can be legitimate, like high-level starters. I think Ezeraku can start, I think he could be a good player in the NFL. But is he like the guy in your pass rush? I don't know about all that. I don't know if I could say that about him. And Revel, I mean, look, I get it, he had a lot going on his rookie season, but he wasn't outstanding his rookie season. So again, you're you're counting on things that you haven't seen yet. You're counting on these guys are gonna develop instead of doing like, and this is why I praise the Eagles organization because I I just think their practices are so good. A few years ago, they went out, this was during their Super Bowl year. They signed Bryce Huff. What did they do with Bryce Huff? They realized, man, this guy can't play. But the reason why they signed him is because he was productive in New York and and he did just. Show production and they had Nolan Smith who didn't step up. Luckily for them, they saw okay, Bryce Huff, even though they invested in him, couldn't play. But Nolan Smith stepped up that year and he was way better. I I just believe you should always protect yourself. Go get a guy that you've seen can do it. And then if Ezeraku steps up and he can be your lead pass rusher, now what do you have? You have two really good pass rushers. So that's where I land on with this. But you know, to to put a bow on this, I think you're gonna have to wait and see with the Kenny Moore situation, uh, what's gonna happen there with maybe the Cowboys trading for him, or maybe they don't, or another team trades for him. So that's the way I look at this. So that's gonna be it for the show, guys. Please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. Let me know what you thought about the episode in the comment section below. Some of the topics that we talked about. Let me know what you thought about this, and I will see you guys on the next episode.